后主刘禅:碌碌无为 一生平安
《三国演义》英译品读 (二十)

 
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作者:王晓辉

刘禅在《三国演义》中不是什么重要的角色,前辈亮眼的光焰,让他显得格外平庸和渺小。不过,在老百姓的心目中,这个小名“阿斗”的蜀汉末代皇帝还是挺招人喜欢的。

阿斗出生在建安十二年(207年),据说他母亲甘夫人夜里梦见自己仰吞北斗而怀孕,所以就给他取了个小名叫阿斗。阿斗出生时,正是刘备创业最为艰难的时期,建安十三年,刘备兵败湖北当阳,刚刚一岁的阿斗陷在乱军之中,多亏赵云拼死保护,才捡回一条性命。阿斗五岁时,刘备忙于取西川,继母孙夫人(孙权的妹妹)差一点把他带回东吴,一旦到了吴国,势必成为人质。又是赵云和张飞登舟抢人,才把阿斗留下。直到建安二十四年,刘备自立汉中王,才算是安定下来;又过了两年,也就是章武元年(221年),刘备称帝,阿斗成了皇太子。刘备称帝不久,就在荆州失守和夷陵之战的多重打击下,心力交瘁,病逝在白帝城,十七岁的阿斗即位,成为蜀汉皇帝,史称后主。

从阿斗的成长经历看,从小到大,他都没有接受过父亲的言传身教,可以说,他是个缺乏父爱的孩子。连年战争,刘备除了东躲西逃,就是东征西讨,阿斗虽然衣食无缺,但不会有什么真正的安全感。即便是阿斗当了太子之后,刘备也没有时间来教导儿子,先是荆州失守,关羽、张飞相继被害,接着刘备起兵伐吴,又在夷陵大败,不久就病死在白帝城。这样的孩子,怎么会有安全感?性格怎么会不懦弱?从这个角度说,这个被忽略的孩子能够长大成为阿斗而没有成为阿Q,而且还顺利地当了四十二年皇帝,已经很不容易了。

再看看曹魏的开国皇帝曹丕,在父亲曹操的严厉督导下,少年通读《诗》《论》,稍长即学五经、四部、《史》《汉》及诸子百家之言。曹丕不仅文学造诣极高,他从很小就学习骑射,十岁上就跟随曹操开始了军旅生涯。曹丕在《典论·自叙》中说:“余年五岁,上以世方扰乱,教余学射,六岁而知射;又教余骑马,八岁而能骑射矣。” 曹操的工作不会比刘备更轻松,但他对子女的教育却抓得非常紧,别的不说,仅从曹丕和曹植兄弟俩的文学造诣即可见一斑。这是刘备、孙权以及绝大多数帝王所不能比的。

【配图:彭靖雯】

阿斗一生让人印象最为深刻的就是那句“乐不思蜀”的成语。景耀六年(263年),魏将邓艾攻破成都,刘禅投降,被迁往魏国都城洛阳,蜀汉就此灭亡。司马昭给刘禅的待遇还是相当优厚的,封为安乐公,赐住宅,月给用度,赐绢万匹,僮婢百人。

但司马昭还是不放心,于是设宴款待刘禅,顺带试探一下,看看他是否有东山再起的野心。

昭设宴款待,先以魏乐舞戏于前,蜀官感伤,独后主有喜色。昭令蜀人扮蜀乐于前,蜀官尽皆堕泪,后主嬉笑自若。酒至半酣,昭谓贾充曰:“人之无情,乃至于此!虽使诸葛孔明在,亦不能辅之久全,何况姜维乎?”乃问后主曰:“颇思蜀否?”后主曰:“此间乐,不思蜀也。”须臾,后主起身更衣,郤正跟至厢下曰:“陛下如何答应不思蜀也?徜彼再问,可泣而答曰:先人坟墓,远在蜀地,乃心西悲,无日不思。晋公必放陛下归蜀矣。”后主牢记入席。酒将微醉,昭又问曰:“颇思蜀否?”后主如郤正之言以对,欲哭无泪,遂闭其目。昭曰:“何乃似郤正语耶?”后主开目惊视曰:“诚如尊命。”昭及左右皆笑之。昭因此深喜后主诚实,并不疑虑。

这是一段很有戏剧性并且带有喜感的描写,阿斗也因为一句“此间乐,不思蜀”的回答给后世留下了一个“乐不思蜀”的成语。我们来看看罗慕士的译文:

Sima Zhao held a feast that began with a performance by Wei musicians and dancers. The Riverlands officials were deeply affronted; the Second Emperor alone wore a look of pleasure. Sima Zhao also had men of Shu dress as Shu musicians. While they performed, the Riverlands officials wept but the Second Emperor laughed with amusement quite unembarrassed. As the wine went around and warmed the company, Sima Zhao said to Jia Chong, "How heartless he is! Not even Kongming -- had he lived -- could have kept the ruler safe for long. Not to speak of Jiang Wei!" Turning to the Second Emperor, Sima Zhao said, "Do you think of Shu at all?" The Emperor replied, "With such entertainment before me, not at all." Shortly afterward, the Emperor excused himself and withdrew, accompanied by Xi Zheng, who asked him, "Why did your Majesty say you do not think of Shu? If he asks again, it would be preferable to answer tearfully, 'My father's grave is far off in Shu, and my heart yearns for the west; I think of the Riverlands every day.' The lord patriarch of Jin, Sima Zhao, will be sure to let you return if you do so." The Second Emperor committed this speech firmly to memory and rejoined the banquet.

The Second Emperor was slightly drunk when Sima Zhao asked him again, "Do you think of Shu at all?" The Second Emperor answered according to Xi Zheng's instruction. He tried to cry, but no tears came, so he shut his eyes tight. Sima Zhao said, "So you are only mouthing Xi Zheng's words!" The Second Emperor opened his eyes and stared in astonishment. "Truly such is the case," he admitted. Sima Zhao and his attendants laughed at him. Because of this, Zhao appreciated the Emperor's simplicity and never mistrusted him.

可能是因为蜀地又称川或四川,也就是金沙江、雅砻江、岷江和嘉陵江四条大河流经的地域,所以罗慕士把“蜀”翻译成了Riverlands。对于外国读者来说,Riverlands要比Shu或者Sichuan更具象,也更容易接受。小说中称刘备为先主,刘禅为后主,因为the First Emperor 已经成了秦始皇的专有名称,所以英译本中把先主译为the Emperor或the First Ruler,而后主则译为the Emperor或the Second Emperor。

中文描写宴饮场面时经常会用到成语“酒至半酣”或“酒酣耳热”。“酣”是酒喝得很畅快的意思,“半酣”大概是渐入佳境,但远未达到“半醉”的程度。罗慕士的英文翻译结合了上面两个成语,as the wine went around and warmed the company,意思是酒已“走起”,宾客也已喝得浑身温暖舒泰,这正是“半酣”的状态,再喝下去恐怕就高了。还有一个类似的成语是“酒过三巡”。“三巡”就是三遍,说的是主人已经给客人斟过三轮酒了,接下来就可以谈实质性的问题了。梁实秋先生编著的《远东汉英大词典》给出的解释是after the wine has gone through three rounds,是直译,往往作为状语使用。

阿斗说的“此间乐,不思蜀也”是一句很平常的话,“With such entertainment before me, not at all”, 后来才演变为成语“乐不思蜀”。汉英词典对“乐不思蜀”的解释是so happy as to forget home and duty,属于引申了。

“更衣”在这里是上厕所的委婉说法。中国古人讲话含蓄,不会直接说“你等一下,我撒泡尿去哈”,而是用“更衣”来替代。既然原文很委婉,译文当然不能说Shortly afterward, the Emperor went to the toilet,或者说the Emperor went to release,所以,罗慕士把这句话译成了“Shortly afterward, the Emperor excused himself and withdrew”,阿斗说了声抱歉就出去了(上厕所去了)。英语中excuse(oneself)就是离开之前礼貌地请求原谅,to say in a polite way that you are leaving。

另一个值得关注的语言现象就是文中的“曰”字。中国古典小说的对话,从头到尾都是“曰”。以上面这一段为例,一共出现了八个“曰”,放在中文里很正常,但如果不假思索都翻译成said,对于外国读者来说一定是味同嚼蜡。罗慕士按照上下文和不同的语气,分别用said,asked,replied,asked again,answered,admitted来翻译这一个曰字,照应了英语行文的习惯。汉语不怕重复,越重复显得越重要;英语最忌重复,一重复就变得乏味。

看了上面这段描写,我倒是觉得阿斗一点儿也不傻,不仅不傻,而且还相当聪明。反倒是那个自作聪明的郤正,差一点害了主子的性命。司马昭何等人,这点儿小把戏能看不出来吗?而且,司马昭已经安排下了耳目,早已知道刘禅君臣的对话了。幸亏阿斗将计就计,不露破绽,才让司马昭打消了疑虑。阿斗能够化险为夷,很大程度上是继承了父亲刘备在表演方面的天分。回想一下《三国演义》第二十一回,青梅煮酒论英雄,曹操对刘备说,“今天下英雄,惟使君与操耳!” 刘备一惊之下,筷子都落到了地上,但他却借着雷声,从容掩盖过去。第四十二回,赵子龙在乱军中救出阿斗,刘备心中感激,却接过孩子扔在地上,说道:“为汝这孺子,几损我一员大将!” 连作者罗贯中都没有否认刘备是在表演,所以才有“无由抚慰忠臣意,故把亲儿掷马前”的诗句。再想想刘备的眼泪,说来就来,比女人还能哭。所以,换一个人放在阿斗的位置上,还真不一定能过得了这一关。

作为皇帝,阿斗说不上英明神武,但也不至于昏庸无道,也就是个平庸而已。阿斗即位之后,重用诸葛亮、蒋琬等忠臣,蜀国的经济社会还是向前发展的,后期虽然宠信宦官黄皓等人,吃喝玩乐多了一点儿,但也没有太大的劣迹。至于丢失江山,真的不能全怪阿斗一人,那是大势所趋,谁也无力回天。

正是:

纷纷世事无穷尽,天数茫茫不可逃。

鼎足三分已成梦,后人凭吊空牢骚。

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